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Obesity is of global health concern. There are well-described inverse relationships between female pubertal timing and obesity. Recent genome-wide association studies of age at menarche identified several obesity-related variants. Using data from the ReproGen Consortium, we employed meta-analytical techniques to estimate the associations of 95 a priori and recently identified obesity-related (body mass index (weight (kg)/height (m)(2)), waist circumference, and waist:hip ratio) single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with age at menarche in 92,116 women of European descent from 38 studies (1970-2010), in order to estimate associations between genetic variants associated with central or overall adiposity and pubertal timing in girls. Investigators in each study performed a separate analysis of associations between the selected SNPs and age at menarche (ages 9-17 years) using linear regression models and adjusting for birth year, site (as appropriate), and population stratification. Heterogeneity of effect-measure estimates was investigated using meta-regression. Six novel associations of body mass index loci with age at menarche were identified, and 11 adiposity loci previously reported to be associated with age at menarche were confirmed, but none of the central adiposity variants individually showed significant associations. These findings suggest complex genetic relationships between menarche and overall obesity, and to a lesser extent central obesity, in normal processes of growth and development.

Original publication

DOI

10.1093/aje/kws473

Type

Journal article

Journal

Am J Epidemiol

Publication Date

01/08/2013

Volume

178

Pages

451 - 460

Keywords

adiposity, body mass index, genetic association studies, menarche, obesity, waist circumference, waist:hip ratio, women's health, Adiposity, Adolescent, Age Factors, Body Mass Index, Child, European Continental Ancestry Group, Female, Genetic Association Studies, Humans, Linkage Disequilibrium, Menarche, Obesity, Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide, Waist Circumference, Waist-Hip Ratio, Women's Health